Lagos, Ekiti, others signify readiness for WAEC

The six states in the Southwest, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo have declared their intention to go ahead with the 2019/2020 WAEC examinations despite opposition to the idea by the federal government.

The governors of the state expressed readiness to conduct the 2020 WASSCE for students in the region amidst the Nigerian government’s insistence that students in the country would not take part in the yearly exam.

Recall that the federal government had cancelled its earlier move to reopen schools across the country and said students in the country would not write this year’s WASSCE.

While people expected the government to rescind its decision, or at least, partially reopen schools to allow students partake in the WASSCE as canvassed by the House of Reps, the Nigerian government on Wednesday, July 15, maintained its stand.

The six South-West states in a unanimous decision taken at the end of an online meeting by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission in collaboration with the forum of South-West education commissioners, special advisers on education and the State Universal Basic Education Board chairmen, said they were ready to conduct WASSCE exams for the region.

“The Forum, after careful deliberations, considering peculiarities of each state and options available reached a consensus on the subject matters and are expressed thus:

“At the least, August 3rd, resumption for final year SSS3 students, states should approach the Federal Government at the first instance seeking the postponement of the WAEC exam by at least three weeks from proposed resumption. In the second instance states should directly approach WAEC to seek an extension of the WAEC Examinations to week commencing August 24.

“All schools, when reopening, should have in place incident managers and classroom wardens for every school and every classroom. The designation of the Quality Assurance Department for each state to issue a Safety Compliance Certificate to each school before reopening.

“Encourage intense advocacy campaigns of the stakeholders – parents, teachers, caregivers, proprietress/headteachers, and the pupils on what is expected of them when schools resume.

“Only hostel/ dormitory accommodation attached to schools should be provided where available to ease logistics and travel challenges of pupils and teachers. Tests and health checks of all pupils and teachers as a prerequisite for accommodation,” a statement released after the meeting states in part.